Troop Tags

What is a Troop Tag?

If one knows where to look on a Swiss service rifle, there is a good chance of finding a troop tag - a small, rectangular piece of paper listing the personal details of the soldier to whom it was issued. The idea was simply that, if the rifle was misplaced somehow, anyone who found it could check the tag, and be able to reunite it with the soldier in question. SBB, the Swiss national railways operator, stated in 2015 that their lost-and-found offices were processing an average of two rifles per month, found on trains across the country. Particularly in the pre-digital age (when the Army was also much larger and such cases were far more common), the presence of troop tags allows and allowed rifles to be expeditiously posted back out to soldiers, or to their units for later collection. On the current-issue Stgw. 90, the troop tag is contained in the base of the pistol grip, and the preceding Stgw. 57 had a waterproof panel on the underside of the buffer tube. However, on earlier, wood-stocked rifles, the tag was typically stored underneath the buttplate to keep it out of the elements, and could not be seen without unscrewing it. The early style of tag had a circular hole to one end, through which the screw could be inserted, to prevent the tag from falling out. 

Information Contained on a Troop Tag

Over time, the amount of information written on troop tags has changed - since the implementation of a digitised database of members of the Army, only the soldier's name, rank, and AHV (Social Security) number are required. Historically, the soldier's birth year, unit, and address would also be included, along with the rifle's serial number (typically written on the reverse). The tag would only be written in one language, that being whichever of the then-three national languages (German, French, or Italian) the soldier had as his mother tongue. 

Names are written with the family name first, and given name second. 

Years of birth are written with just the last two digits of year, e.g. '35' instead of '1935'. As Swiss men are called up for service in the year in which they turn 20, one can determine the year in which the rifle was issued out (assuming - and it is worth remembering that this is not always the case - that the rifle was the first one given to the soldier in question during his Recruit School, and that he did not defer his service) by adding 20 to the birth year written on the tag. 

Units are written in abbreviated form. For more information, see below.

Addresses are written, as is common in continental Europe, with the street name first, followed by a building number. The second line will usually consist of the name of the town and a four-digit postal code. 

Unit Abbreviations

The list below is a non-exhaustive set of examples from troop tags we have seen and identified previously. As and when we discover and decipher new abbreviations, they will be added to the list. Abbreviations are presented in the format 'short form as written on troop tag - long form - English translation [language]'.

Notes

The basic format of a unit, as recorded on a troop tag, should include:

• The size of the unit (battalion, company, etc.)

• The type of unit (Fusiliers, Anti-Aircraft, etc.)

• The unit's identifying number. 

Most units of the Swiss Army are organised along the lines of battalions, sub-divided into companies. This goes for the Infantry Troops, the Mechanised and Light Troops, and several other branches. However, for the Artillery Troops and Anti-Aircraft Troops, the organisation level of the battalion is instead replaced by the detachment or battery. Additionally, non-front-line support units are often arranged into independent companies, or independent detachments, without battalion affiliation. Where a unit number consists only of an arabic numeral, that indicates the number of an independent company or detachment. However, if a number consists of both a roman and an arabic numeral, the roman numeral indicates the company number within the battalion/detachment/battery indicated by the arabic numeral. Headquarters companies are indicated with the abbreviation 'Stab. Kp.' in German or 'Cp. EM' in French (sometimes written CEM). 

In German, the unit size component of the abbreviation will be the last component before the unit number, but in French and Italian it comes first. Please see the examples below for more detail.

Within the Infantry Troops, there are three categories of unit: Fusiliers, Carabiniers*, and Grenadiers. Both Fusiliers and Carabiniers are line infantry, who were historically placed under the command of the individual cantonal governments. Nowadays, there is no difference in organisation, and the distinction is purely traditional. Grenadiers, meanwhile, are a form of light infantry/special forces, first created during the Second World War. All three types have specialist mountain versions, who receive additional alpine training and have a slightly different squad-level organisation. 

For most battalions, the unit number also gives away additional information. Two-digit numbers indicate battalions of the Auszug, whereas three-digit ones are Landsturm or Landwehr. Three-digit unit numbers beginning with a '6', '7', or '8' are Territorial or Ortswehr units. For an in-depth look at the Swiss militia model, please read this article on the website of Forgotten Forces Living History Association, a UK-based reenactment group with a large Swiss Army section. 

* Note: the term 'Carabinier' has not always been used in English to refer to the Cantonal Schützen/Carabiniers [DE/FR] Battalions. Historically, they were sometimes referred to as 'Riflemen', but either term can be used interchangeably and the Swiss Army does not appear to have an officially favoured translation.

List of Unit Size Abbreviations

• Abt. - Abteilung - Detachment [DE]

• Bat. - Bataillon - Battalion [DE and FR]

• Bttr. - Batterie - Battery [DE and FR]

• Cp. - Compagnie - Company [FR]

• Dét. - Détachement - Detachment [FR]

• Kp. - Kompanie - Company [DE]

• Rgt. - Regiment - Regiment [DE and FR]

List of Unit Types

• Aérod. - Aérodrome - Airfield Defence [FR]

• Art. - Artillerie - Artillery [DE and FR]

• Art. Fort. - Artillerie de Fort - Fortress Artillery [FR]

• Car. - Carabiniers - Carabiniers [FR] 

• Char. - Char - Tank [FR]

• Cp. EM. - Compagnie d'État-major - Staff Company [FR] (sometimes written CEM)

• DCA - Défense contre avions - Anti-Aircraft [FR]

• Dest. - Destruction - Sapper [FR]

• Drag. - Dragoner - Dragoon [DE]

• EM. - État-major - General Staff [FR]

• Fest. - Festung - Fortress [DE]

• Fl. - Flieger - Aircraft [DE]

• Fl. Pk. - Flieger-Parkdienst - Aircraft Maintenance [DE]

• Flab. - Fliegerabwehr - Anti-Aircraft [DE]

• Fuc. - Fucilieri - Fusiliers [IT]

• Fuc. Mont. - Fucilieri di Montagna - Mountain Fusiliers [IT]

• Fus. - Fusilier - Fusilier [FR]

• Fus. Mont. - Fusiliers de Montagne - Mountain Fusiliers [FR]

• Füs. - Füsilier - Fusilier [DE]

• Geb. - Gebirgs - Mountain - [DE]

• Geb. Fus. - Gebirgsfusilier - Mountain Fusilier [DE]

• Geb. Gren. - Gebirgsgrenadier - Mountain Grenadier [DE]

• Geb. Sch. - Gebirgsschützen - Mountain Carabinier [DE]

• Gen. - Genie/Geneur - Engineer [DE and FR]

• Gren. - Grenadier - Grenadier (i.e. special forces) [DE and FR]

• Gren. Char. - Grenadiers de Chars - Mechanised Infantry [FR]

• Gren. Mont. - Grenadiers de Montagne - Mountain Grenadiers [FR]

• Gzw. Korps. - Grenzwachtkorps - Border Guards [DE]

• Hd. - Hilfsdienst - Auxiliary Service [DE]

• Kan. - Kanonen - Artillery Cannon [DE]

• Landw. - Landwehr - Landwehr (i.e. second-line reservists) [DE]

• Ld. - lourde - Heavy [FR]

• Ld. DCA - lourde Défense contre avions - Heavy Anti-Aircraft [FR]

• L. Flab. - leichte Fliegerabwehr - Light Anti-Aircraft [DE]

• Ls. - Landsturm - Landsturm (i.e. third-line reservists) [DE]

• Mob. Mun. - mobile Munition - Mobile Ammunition Supply [DE]

• Mont. - Montagne or Montagna - Mountain [FR and IT]

• Mot. - Motorisiert - Motorised [DE]

• Mot. Drag. - Motordragoner - Motorised Infantry [DE]

• Mun. - Munition - Ammunition Supply [DE and FR]

• Ob. - Obus - Cannon [FR]

• Ortsw. - Ortswehr - Home Guard [DE]

• Park. - Parkdienst - Equipment Support [DE]

• Pk. - Parkdienst - Equipment Support [DE]

• Pes. - pesanta - Heavy [IT]

• Pol. - Polizei or Police - Police [DE and FR]

• Pont. - Pontonier - Pontooneer [DE and FR]

• Pz. - Panzer - Tank [DE]

• Pz. Gren. - Panzergrenadier - Mechanised Infantry [DE]

• Sap. - Sapeur - Sapper [DE and FR]

• Sch. - Schützen - Carabinier [DE]

• Schw. - schwer - Heavy [DE]

• Sch. Flab. - schwere Fliegerabwehr - Heavy Anti-Aircraft [DE]

• Sch. Kan - schwere Kanonen - Heavy Artillery Cannon [DE]

• Si. - Sicherheits - Security [DE]

• Stab. - Stabs - General Staff [DE]

• Stab. Kp. - Stabskompanie - Staff Company [DE]

• Str. Pol. - Strassenpolizei - Traffic Police [DE]

• Ter. - Territorial(e) - Territorial [DE and FR]

• Tr. - Train - Baggage Train (i.e. horse-borne materiel transport) [DE and FR]

• Uem. - Übermittlung - Communication [DE]

• Vpf. - Verpflegung - Supply [DE]

• Wk. - Werkskompanie - Facility Maintenance [DE]

List of Rank Abbreviations

Ranks are presented in the format 'German/French/Italian abbreviation - German/French/Italian full form - English translation'.

• Rekr./Recr./Rec. - Rekrut/Recrut/Recluta - Recruit

• Sdt./Sdt./Sdt. - Soldat/Soldat/Soldato - Private

• Gfr./App./App. - Gefreiter/Appointé/Appuntato - Lance-Corporal

• Kpl./Cpl./Cpl. - Korporal/Caporal/Caporale - Corporal

• Wm./Sgt./Sgt. - Wachtmeister/Sergent/Sergente - Sergeant

Ranks above Sgt. were issued - as a general rule - with handguns, rather than rifles, and so it is unlikely that one will find them written on troop tags. That said, non-rifle-equipped members of the army who wished to compete in shooting competitions could receive a 'Leihwaffe' [Loan Weapon] from the army as a temporary issue, in addition to their personal pistol, and would usually still fill in a troop tag for these rifles. 

Non-Standard Ranks

Frequently, army members holding the rank of Private are referred to by their function (depending on branch of service), rather than rank. For example, a Private by the name of Rudolf Schmidt, serving as an artilleryman, would write his name and rank on the troop tag as 'Kan. Schmidt Rudolf'.

• Füs./Fus./Fuc. - Füsilier/Fusilier/Fuciliere - Fusilier

• Kan./Can. - Kanonier/Canonier - Gunner

• Mitr. - Mitrailleur - Machine-Gunner

• Mw. - Minenwerfer - Mortar-Gunner

• Sch./Car. - Schütze/Carabinier - Carabinier